NEW YEAR. NEW HABITS. NEW YOU.

The new year is here. But what about you? Is it time to develop some new habits to create and sustain a new start… and new you? Let me show you how to refresh and renew you, and your habits, for this brand new year.

Today I’ll share why changing ourselves, and our habits is hard, and what you can do to make it a whole lot easier so that you can make this year a year worth truly celebrating.

A New Year is a great opportunity to begin afresh… to revitalise how you’re approaching and living life, to create more space, time and capacity for what you deeply yearn for.

Whether it’s time out, deepening relationships, improving health and fitness, meditation, hobbies or interests, personal development, a new job, community connections, or travel… the list is endless, but your time may not be.

Changing habits requires us to do some things that may seem ‘hard.’ These things are often avoided, especially the things that make us feel uncomfortable, that are far easier to hide from, that others can’t do for us, that make us second-guess ourselves and question how we’re going to find the strength to push forward. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Why do we want to avoid them?

Because the hard things can ultimately build us up to change our life. These hard changes make the difference between existing and living, between knowing the path and walking the path, between a lifetime of empty promises and one filled with improvement and fulfillment.

Now, to achieve the things we really want in life, we must step out of our comfort zones regularly and do those things that require purpose, patience, perseverance and persistence to do.

What’s the key? It’s essential to keep our minds focused on what needs to be done. Here’s what you can do:

Write yourself some ‘notes to self – like the one’s I’ll share here with you – and then place them where you can easily see them and refer to them throughout the day (I keep mine by my computer). These ‘notes to self’ will help keep you on track.

Get started now by using a few these that most apply to you:

Note to myself: choose yourself today.You won’t always be a priority to others, and that’s why you need to be a priority to yourself. Learn to respect yourself, take care of yourself, and become your own support system. Your needs matter. Start meeting them. Make YOUR priorities a top priority. Don’t wait on others to choose you. Choose yourself, today!

Note to myself: Start before you feel ready. If you wait until you feel 100% ready, you will be waiting the rest of your life. Wake up! Some people wait all day for 5pm, all week for Friday, all year for their holidays, all their lives for happiness. Don’t be one of them.

Note to myself: Let your actions speak loud and clear. A big part of your life is a result of your choices. If you don’t like some part of your life, it’s time to start making changes and new choices. And it’s perfectly okay to be discreet about it. You don’t need to put everything on social media. Quieetly progress and let your actions today speak for themselves.

Note to myself: Delete distractions. If it entertains you now but will hurt or bore you someday, it’s just a distraction. Don’t settle. Don’t exchange what you want most for what you kind of want at the moment. Study your habits and rituals. Figure out where your time goes, and remove distractions. It’s time to focus more on what really matters.

Note to myself: Embrace discomfort for the right reasons. Everything gets a bit uncomfortable when it’s time to change. That’s just a part of growth. Things will get better and easier. Be patient and kind to yourself.

Note to myself: Deliver results when making excuses is easier. NO shortcuts. NO quick fixes. NO blaming others. NO “I’ll do it tomorrow.” NO MORE EXCUSES! Just get started. Enough talking. Begin doing! Laziness may appear attractive, but action leads to progress and long-term fulfillment.

Note to myself: Embrace where you are, even as you move forward.Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress, which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once. Embrace the journey.

Note to myself: Trust the path.– Someday you will understand the reasons that certain things had to happen, just the way they did… to give you the lessons you needed to grow. It’s never ideal, and it’s rarely easy, but what doesn’t break you today only makes you stronger and wiser. Take a deep breath right now and keep going.

Note to myself: Only focus on what you can control right now. The challenge is ultimately to take life day by day and be grateful for the little things. Don’t get caught up in what you can’t control. Accept it and make the best of it. ‘Acceptance’ doesn’t mean you have to ‘like’ what’s going on – it simply means you stop fighting with reality. When you stop worrying about what you can’t control, you have more time and energy to change the things you can control. And that changes everything.

Note to myself: Keep your expectations of others in check.Don’t lower your standards, but do remember that removing your expectations of others is the best way to avoid being disappointed by them. Not everyone has the same heart and intentions as you. Don’t let your expectations of others hold you back from being the best you can be.

Taking action and changing ourselves is a skill to be honed. At the most fundamental level, it’s the ability to overcome distractions and get the right things done. It involves acting according to what you know is right for you, rather than how you feel in the moment. And it typically requires sacrificing some level of immediate gratification for what truly matters.

So, are you ready to make a stand with me right here, right now, together? Let’s start taking action TODAY! And as we gradually notice our progress, we may be truly surprised at how capable and creative we really are and just how rewarding life really can be.

Now I would love to hear from YOU.

Which ‘note’ I’ve mentioned resonates with you the most today, and why?